NEST Teachershave style!

They engage studentsin high-quality instruction using proven methods.

What they teach varies, but how they teach share some common core traits. You'll recognize a NEST Classroom when you see it because . . .

NEST Students

Learn content and skills by addressing real-world problems.

Have a say in how their projects evolve.

Collaborate and problem-solve together.

Are excited and motivated.

Example: Third graders at Natural Bridge Elementary listened to a Boxerwood presentation about how to increase homes for birds on campus by installing nest boxes. Afterwards, the class voted whether to undertake the project (they did). They then worked with each other and their teacher to physically map their schoolyard for best sites. Students made a presentation to their principal requesting approval for installation. They are now monitoring six sites on campus. The project involves mapping, math, science, and written and oral communication.

Example: Six teachers at Maury River Middle School work across grade level to engage 430 students each year in a comprehensive assessment of water quality in nearby Woods Creek. They task their students to create powerpoint slides explaining each grade’s piece of the investigation, leaving all design decisions up to the students. Students write and prepare the text, then vote on best products, to be assembled into a presentations shared with the community during a public meeting.​

Engages students in a sustained, watershed-based inquiry that culminates in a student-led conservation project.

MWEEs have been mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia for​ all public schools. ​

Builds environmental literacy skills to promote care of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

MWEEs incorporates elements from all of the best practices above.

NEST projectsin bold above

It works.See what experts say.

A growing body of research documents thebenefits of nature-based learning. The resource links below highlight current findings from many peer-reviewed studies. Multiple studies confirm that connecting children with nature: